I gathered up the four stacks of paper, tapped their edges even on the wooden desktop, and slid them back into the thick manila envelope.

I took the envelope across the room to the wooden sewing chest in the corner of the sunroom.

I lifted out the top tray of thread spools and cloth tape measures, uncovering the deep wooden compartment underneath.

I laid the envelope flat on the cedar lining, covered it with my winter quilt patterns, and set the heavy tray back in place.

I turned the little iron key in the lock of the chest, slipped the key into my skirt pocket, and shut the sunroom door behind me.